Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

As the group walked down the hallway, the last rays of the setting sun had vanished. Without the city lights, the stars finally returned to the world when the human presence was at its minimum.

Shu looked at the crescent moon, and for a moment, he was lost in thought. Then, the darkness beneath the stars pulled him back to reality.

The night sky was beautiful, but it couldn't coexist with the night view created by humans. If he could only choose one, then in a city like Nagazora, Shu would always choose the former.

"So, this school has become a shelter?" Shu looked around and only saw a few burning bonfires and a few people around them, mostly young people.

"There aren't that many people here…"

Mei sighed, a look of pain on her face as she looked into the distance. "This place barely counts as a shelter. We're all just temporarily gathered here."

"What about the others?" Shu immediately said, then stopped realizing he had spoken out of turn again. He quickly gave his mouth two light slaps while everyone's backs were turned. "Sorry, never mind that, just pretend I farted."

Bronya: "..."

Mei hesitated for a moment, but said, "It's nothing to hide... When the disaster struck, many of our classmates and teachers couldn't control themselves. Everyone was in chaos, there were so many attackers…"

"Everyone was running. I was too. I couldn't save most people, I even almost… If it wasn't for class monitor, you wouldn't have been able to see me here."

Shu secretly swallowed.

I don't know if Mei was lucky or if Fu Hua is just that amazing, saving people from the middle of a battlefield.

Ah, why can't I just be quiet and not be so curious?

"Now, the zombies in the school have been taken care of by the headmaster and Bishop Otto. We, the survivors, and those who came to this place later, are now settling in temporarily."

"Phew, thankfully you guys didn't leave, or I would really have no way of finding you." Kiana said thankfully, raising her arm, "Alright! Since Class Monitor saved Mei, then I should thank her! Mei, what do you think I should give her as a gift?"

Mei thought for a moment, and laughed. "I think class monitor will be very happy if she heard the new idioms you've learned."

Kiana's face instantly fell.

Damn it, learning is still after me!

"What idioms did I learn…" Kiana lowered her head, counting on her fingers what idioms she had "learned".

Not long after, Shu saw an extraordinary figure. Someone who was heroic, upright, and had a tall and straight posture…

The aura that was radiating made Shu tremble, and he mentally proclaimed that the name Red-Hawk Immortal was well-deserved.

"Class Monitor!!" Kiana shouted, waving at Fu Hua from afar.

"Kiana?" Hearing her name, Fu Hua turned back and saw the eye-sore standing under the starry sky. She felt a sense of joy and waved back.

Shu: ?

That's not right, let's take another look.

"Kiana, it's so good that you're okay!" The two hugged each other tightly. Shu couldn't help but be stunned.

"Waa… Class monitor, Mei, you guys wouldn't believe what kind of hardships I went through…" Now that she was with all of her familiar faces, Kiana began acting spoiled.

Shu, the only "victim," looked shocked, "What are you talking about? A four-course meal a hardship? How much do you usually eat on a daily basis, Mei?"

"It's only improved a little since I met you." Kiana looked back at Shu, making up for it. "Before that, I didn't even eat a hot meal!"

"Is… that so?" Even with Kiana hanging all over her, Fu Hua remained unaffected. She nodded to Shu. "Thank you for this past period."

"No problem… haha, but Kiana mentioned on the way that she wanted to show you the new idioms she's learned…" Shu smoothly shifted the topic onto the Kiana who was now a human accessory.

He was successfully rewarded by a dangerous glare from Kiana.

"Oh? Kiana, so you've finally understood the importance of learning?" Fu Hua's glasses flashed a white light in the darkness.

"Ahem!" Kiana gave Shu another dangerous look before making an excuse. "I want to, but I'm too tired. And I'm also hungry. I need to eat Mei's food to recharge. Hehe, I won't be able to perform for class monitor right now.

"How about this! I'll give half of my food to class monitor, as a thanks for you saving Mei, how about it?"

Well, well, she was acting spoiled to Fu Hua to create a sympathetic persona. Well played.

Shu was very impressed.

"It was nothing, I did what I had to do." Fu Hua responded quickly before looking at Shu, thanking him again.

Why did the conversation circle back to me again? Shu felt his social anxiety kicking in, but he forced himself to take over the conversation.

"It was nothing… you really don't want to see what Kiana has learned?" Shu hadn't given up yet.

Fu Hua paused, then laughed. "Kiana can't memorize them. Her studies have always been poor. To be honest, if Kiana could recite them, I would wonder if she was the real Kiana."

"There's not much, right…" Shu was puzzled. Were Kiana's studies that poor? "Even if she was not attentive, shouldn't she remember the idioms she spoke herself?"

"I'm not sure…" Fu Hua smiled bitterly, "I've tried to get Kiana to recite some ancient Chinese poems, but even the simplest five-character quatrain is like a complete blur to her."

Shu looked at Kiana, who had now latched on to Mei. He nodded. "I don't think Kiana would survive if she lived with me."

"I think so too." Fu Hua agreed. Shu suddenly froze, stiffly turning to look at Fu Hua with a shocked expression.

The "there" she's referring to is my past life… why does Fu Hua understand what I meant?!

"Uh… odd changes for odd, even changes for even?"

"… It's… sign follows quadrant?"

Shu's eyes widened.